Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ahead of meeting and planning for it, we are allowing the increased demand to continue. The example of Portlaoise is an interesting case that was in the news. We heard about the 80 families who are unable to move into their homes because of power constraints in the area. This is one of the largest growth areas and one would imagine that it would be stress-tested regularly. Is it not the case that this is also an area where large energy users and data centres are operating? Has there been an examination of those factors and the impact they are having? Is there a tiered system to plan for electricity demand during the next five to ten years when we are seeking to bring wind energy online, which is the right approach? What are the priorities and structures in these areas for this period? Is it a matter of first come, first served?

I have a couple of other questions. Hybrid generation was mentioned. Is that about potentially having renewable generation as well as fossil-fuel generation?